Will Ma

Jane Street 5-min Presentation

� Chords in pop music fall under roughly four categories, and most songs use four chord phrases

� Pop songs often choose a fixed permutation of these four chord categories for the whole Pop songs often choose a fixed permutation of these four chord categories for the whole song (we will ignore songs that repeat categories)

� I’ve followed the chord progressions in pop hits since the 90’s

� Some Alternatives: I6, I9, I96

� In C major, this refers to the C major triad

Alternative Notations: C/E, C9 , CMAJ7� Alternative Notations: C/E, C9

6, CMAJ7

� Some Alternatives: V6, V7, V9, I64, V13

7

� In C major, this refers to the G major triad

Alternative Notations: G, G/B, G7� Alternative Notations: G, G/B, G7

� Some Alternatives: ii, ii6, IV7, ii7, II7, ii9

� In C major, this refers to the F major triad (or d minor/D major triad)

� Alternative Notations: F, d, D7/F#

� Some Alternatives: vi7

� In C major, this refers to the a minor triad

Alternative Notations: a� Alternative Notations: a

� Most theoretically sound by Classical music principles (I to start, pre-dominant before dominant, V is penultimate chord)

� Every OTHER chord of Pachelbel’s canon

� We Are Young (Fun.)

� Baby (Justin Bieber)

� Blank Space (Taylor Swift)

� Walking in Memphis

� vi-IV-V-I:◦ Barbie Girl (Aqua)

� IV-V-I-vi: ◦ Viva la Vida (Coldplay)◦ Viva la Vida (Coldplay)

� V-I-vi-IV:◦ OPEN!

� Also very Classically sound

� Resembles the first half of Pachelbel’s canon

� Probably the most popular cycle

I’m Yours (Jason Mraz)� I’m Yours (Jason Mraz)

� Irreplaceable (Beyonce)

� Don’t Stop Believing (Glee/Journey)

� Take a Bow (Rihanna)

� vi-IV-I-V:◦ Apologize (Timbaland), Love the Way you Lie

(Rihanna), Just a Dream (Nelly), Grenade (Bruno Mars), So Sick (Ne-Yo), Stereo Hearts (Adam Levine)

◦ Caught ABSOLUTE FIRE in ~2010

� IV-I-V-vi:◦ Big Girls Don’t Cry (Fergie) chorus

� V-vi-IV-I:◦ Time After Time, Wannabe (Spice Girls)

� Somewhat Classically sound

� What Makes You Beautiful (One Direction)

� Waving Flag (song for Haiti)

Without You (Usher)� Without You (Usher)

� For the First Time in Forever (Frozen) verse

� vi-V-I-IV:◦ Breakeven (The Script) verse

� IV-vi-V-I:◦ She Likes Me For Me (Blessed Union of Souls)◦ She Likes Me For Me (Blessed Union of Souls)

� V-I-IV-vi:◦ OPEN!

� Descending bass line

� Surprisingly unpopular given how natural it is

� Cast Away (Green Day)

Two Princes (Spin City)� Two Princes (Spin City)

� vi-V-IV-I:◦ Pray (Justin Bieber)

� IV-I-vi-V:◦ Call Me Maybe (Carly Rae Jepsen) chorus, What’cha◦ Call Me Maybe (Carly Rae Jepsen) chorus, What’cha

Say (Jason Derulo), I’m Coming Home (Skylar Grey), As Long As You Love Me (Backstreet Boys)

� V-IV-I-vi:◦ OPEN!

� OPEN!

� vi-I-V-IV:◦ Disturbia (Rihanna), Rehab (Rihanna), Impossible

(Shontelle)

� IV-vi-I-V:◦ Incomplete (Backstreet Boys)

� V-IV-vi-I:◦ A Year Without Rain (Selena Gomez)

� OPEN! (Why does it sound so weird?)

� Ascending bass line

� vi-I-IV-V: OPEN!

� IV-V-vi-I:◦ Bad Romance (Lady Gaga) first half of chorus..

� V-vi-I-IV: OPEN!

� 7 of the 24 permutations open (to my knowledge)

� More than half of them have V to start the phrasephrase

� Maybe you can be the next trendsetter in pop music!